When is "Free" Unappealing?

[marciayudkin]

The following passage by an editor referring to Book Expo, the gargantuan annual giveaway fest for the publishing industry, got me thinking:

Consider this: a customer walks into Barnes & Noble and says to the clerk that she'd like a mystery with local interest. In one scenario, the clerk points to a crowded table and says, "Free books." In the other scenario, he picks up a book or two and says, "I love these, and here's why..."

The implication is that the customer would rather pay for a recommended book than be left alone to rummage among stuff that's free.

I'm wondering, what are the factors that lead you to turn down or turn away from something that is free - not just while online, but also generally?

Thanks for your examples and insights!

Marcia Yudkin

[grumpyjacksa]

firstly, having to jump through hoops to get it.....

secondly...i'll sign up fot the first one...and if it's not of any value, i'll just not take you up on the next offer.

if there's a catch...like wanting my credit card details for a free trial.....

just my 0.02c

[John Durham]

If free things aren't worth peoples time then virtually none of the marketers here are really offering value when they advertise free reports to get you to opt into their squeeze page.

Hopefully free things are worthwhile, and more than just a manipulative tool.

[BlackWaterBlog]

Nothing is free in this world. There's always a hidden cost or a hidden catch that you don't know about.

[Harry Behrens]

One needs to build up the value of the thing before offering it for free. You need to spend a little time explaining what problem the thing solves or what benefit it's going to give the prospect before going, yeah, by the way - it's free (for a nice little example look at Paul Myers's signature).

This is unless you're offering something that is assumed as a matter of course to be something that everybody wants/needs... free money, free healthcare, free hosting, etc. They are two different types of offers.

"Free gift" I think falls somewhere between the two since of course 'everybody wants a free gift', and yet it's not very hard to make the mental leap of 'a free gift can still be a crap gift'.

[VeitSchenk]

Originally Posted by Harry Behrens

One needs to build up the value of the thing before offering it for free. You need to spend a little time explaining what problem the thing solves or what benefit it's going to give the prospect before going, yeah, by the way - it's free (for a nice little example look at Paul Myers's signature).

yep, a fine example is Ryan Deiss' 43splittests.com, build the value to $497, then give it away for free.

Veit

[khemystx]

I'm definitely one of the internet consumers that has grown wary of the word "free". At the very least, I realize someone is going to get my email address. That being said, I still take a look at what's being offered!

I recommend telling the customer (of your free product) why you're happy to give this away (future business, getting leads, free advertising, etc). If you're upfront with them, I suspect you'll get a good response.

khemystx

[marciayudkin]

If free things aren't worth peoples time

Well, of course free things are often rejected in real life.

How many people will not go to the public library, where everything is free, because they find it inconvenient?

When you see people passing out brochures on a busy street, do you always take one? It's free. If it were a book or a CD they were handing out, would you necessarily take it? Suppose it were bibles being handed out?

In my current neighborhood, and other places I've lived, people put things they don't want by the side of the road with a sign "free." Some people will always stop and take a look, some people never will.

I believe there are valuable lessons in such examples. Please keep your examples coming!

Thanks!

Marcia Yudkin

[khemystx]

After giving it a bit more thought, I think I trust the word "free" more if it's associated with the word "with". For example, I prefer "Free Tax Tips with Free Newsletter Subscription" to "Free Tax Tips, click here".
K

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by marciayudkin

I'm wondering, what are the factors that lead you to turn down or turn away from something that is free - not just while online, but also generally?

Wrong question.

What are the factors that lead you to turn TOWARD something that costs money, even when there is a free alternative?

Several years ago, my friend David Shapiro said the most brilliant thing ever.

"Attention is the currency of the future."

This was before Google. And when you really examine Google's business, all those billions of dollars they make come from one thing, and ONLY one thing... attention.

Pay attention to your customers.

I love video games. I have a choice of many, many video game stores. I drive 45 minutes to one particular store, a small one, for one and only one reason: they pay attention to me. I walk in the store, and they immediately greet me by name. They know what games I like, and what games I don't. They know when I will or will not buy a used game rather than a new one.

When you say "free books," you're paying no attention to me at all. But tell me why you love something, and you engage with me. You let me into your life; you make me a part of something you love. And I will pay you for that, because this world is so commoditised and anonymous, I simply don't get that from enough people.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I think with IM there is a lot of confusion about the free widget -
these days you really need to sell the customer on what is so
great about the widget and why he or she should invest time
in downloading and using it.

By IM - I mean internet marketing - this amorphous, non-localized
business model we do online.

In a local context people who know you are in business in the same
town as them will grab your free stuff as an exploration of what you
offer.